Vancouver Green Real Estate - Renovation/Building - Flooring

This week's topic is flooring and what sustainable materials you can use when planning this aspect of your renovation or construction.

For those up to the challenge of a little sanding and refinishing, reclaimed floorboards are an option.  Not always easy to find as more and more people realize the value of hardwood over carpet in past years. If found re-claimed boards can often provide a higher quality hardwood at a lower cost than most new products. The fact that they require some effort to find as well as some manual labour makes this option mostly popular with DIY enthusiasts.

Another two environmentally conscious options are cork floors and bamboo. Cork floors are made from 100 percent industrial recycled content (leftovers from wine cork manufacturing), and is a sustainable material as the harvested bark grows back within a few years. Bamboo is a grass option that regenerates itself eight times faster than hardwoods. Both can be finished in various lighter or darker tones, have appealing textures, and ultimately look great on floors.

If you do decide to hardwood is the way to go be sure to its Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified. This means the forests where the wood is harvested are managed sustainably (not clear cut).

For more information on sustainable building practices and renovations idea's visit Vancouver Real Estate Agent Dean Wegman's website at www.deanwegman.com

 

        

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